What is I-O?

Industrial-organizational (I-O) psychology is the scientific study of working and the application of that science to workplace issues facing individuals, teams, and organizations.
The scientific method is applied to investigate issues of critical relevance to individuals, businesses, and society.

Develop Performance Appraisal Tools. I/O psychologists can analyze jobs and develop performance appraisal tools that ensure all supervisors are calibrated to have the same understanding of how poor, average, and above average performance is identified.

Train Performance Raters. I/O psychologists can train performance raters to identify and avoid common ratings biases so that ratings are as fair and accurate as possible. I/O psychologists can also train performance raters on how to provide coaching and feedback to employees in ways that increase motivation and facilitate performance enhancement.

Set Performance Objectives. I/O psychologists can set specific performance objectives and goals for employees based on scientific evidence that map to the organizations’ strategic goals and maximize employee motivation.

Develop Compensation Systems. I/O psychologists can create and implement compensation systems that are aligned with the organizations’ strategic goals and are supportive of organizational values and culture (e.g., pay-for-performance systems), as well as identify other types of incentives that are valued by employees.

Conduct Legal Audits and Provide Expert Witness Testimony. I/O psychologists are uniquely qualified to audit an organization’s performance management program and identify potential legal risks; they can also serve as expert witnesses in performance management cases.

Store-level employee engagement (as rated in an annual employee survey) increased by 40%. The largest increase was on survey items related to finding meaning in one’s work and having a clear understanding of how one’s work affects the organization as a whole.

Turnover decreased by 25%.

*The results here are an example of potential outcomes using the solution delineated above.